Parasitic element and PIFA antenna structure

ABSTRACT

A Parasitic Element ( 202 ) for use in combination with a Planer Inverted “F” Antenna (PIFA) ( 100 ) that creates an additional band of efficient operation for the combined antenna structure ( 200 ). The parasitic element ( 202 ) is able to be made to conform to surfaces ( 704 ) that are near the PIFA, such as of a case ( 704 ) of a cellular telephone ( 706 ). The parasitic element ( 202 ) is positioned so as to radiantly couple with the PIFA ( 100 ) in order to create the additional band of efficient operation. A parasitic element ( 202 ) is used with a dual band PIFA that operates in two RF bands, such as in the region near 800 MHz and 1.9 GHz, and adds a third band such as in the region near 1.575 GHz to support reception of Global Positioning System signals. This parasitic element ( 202 ) can conform to a case ( 704 ) of the cellular telephone ( 706 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of radio frequencyantennas and more particularly to compact, multiple band antennas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Radio communications devices are increasingly being used to communicatethrough and process RF signals within multiple RF bands. An example ofmultiple RF band devices is a device that is able to communicate in oneof several cellular telephone bands, such as the 800 MHz band and the1.9 GHz Cellular telephone band, while receiving Global PositioningSystem (GPS) signals in the region of 1.575 GHz. It is often desirable,especially in small and/or portable devices, to minimize the number ofantennas that are used on the device, and using a single antenna tocover multiple bands generally provides savings in size andmanufacturing cost.

One antenna design used in cellular telephones that operate within twoRF bands is a Planar Inverted “F” Antenna (PIFA). A PIFA is able toefficiently operate in two cellular bands, such as the 800 MHz and 1.9GHz RF bands. In cellular phone devices that operate in these two bands,however, a separate antenna is generally used to receive GPS signals inthe region of 1.575 GHz. This increases the size, cost and complexity ofcellular phones that operate in these two cellular bands and that arerequired to receive GPS signals.

Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art asdiscussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an antennahas a PIFA and a parasitic element positioned so as to be operativelycoupled to the PIFA. The parasitic element is positioned in proximity tothe PIFA so that RF energy is coupled between the parasitic element andthe PIFA. The parasitic element is also configured and positioned so asto further induce radiation within one or multiple additional frequencybands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which together with the detailed description below are incorporatedin and form part of the specification, serve to further illustratevarious embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages allin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 a top view of a PIFA antenna that is used as part of aPIFA-Parasitic Element combination antenna, according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 a top view of a PIFA-Parasitic Element combination antenna,according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 a side view of a PIFA-Parasitic Element combination antenna asinstalled into a portable communications device, according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a lumped element electrical diagram for a PIFA-ParasiticElement combination antenna, according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary PIFA antenna only radiation characteristic versesRF frequency of a PIFA antenna operating without a parasitic element,according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is exemplary PIFA-Parasitic Element combination antenna structureradiation characteristic verses RF frequency according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cellular telephone incorporating aPIFA-Parasitic Element antenna structure according to an alternativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a PIFA-Parasitic Element antenna structure thatincorporates a meandering parasitic element, according to an alternativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a pre-loading PIFA-Parasitic Element antennastructure, according to an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in variousforms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis forthe claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in theart to variously employ the present invention in virtually anyappropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases usedherein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide anunderstandable description of the invention.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term plurality, as used herein, is defined as two or more thantwo. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a secondor more. The terms including and/or having, as used herein, are definedas comprising (i.e., open language).

The present invention, according to a preferred embodiment, overcomesproblems with the prior art by providing a Parasitic Element (PE) thatis able to be used in conjunction with a Planer Inverted “F” antenna(PIFA) antenna structure. In some embodiments of the present invention,the PE physically conforms to, and is therefore easily mounted upon, aphysical structure that is near the PIFA antenna. This facilitatesfabrication of a device incorporating those embodiments of the presentinvention. The PE of the exemplary embodiment is configured andpositioned so as to induce an additional RF band of efficient operationin the PIFA when operating as a combined PIFA-PE antenna structure ascompared to the operation of the PIFA alone. The exemplary embodimentuses a PIFA antenna that is suited for dual cellular telephone RF banduse within the 800 MHz and 1.9 GHz bands. The PE of the exemplaryembodiment adds an additional band of efficient reception of GPS signalsin the region of 1.575 GHz. The exemplary embodiment provides a singlecompact antenna structure that efficiently operates in the 800 MHz,1.575 GHz and 1.9 GHz bands.

A top view of a PIFA antenna 100 as is used by a PIFA-PE combinationantenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 1. The PIFA antenna 100 consists of a rectangularconductive sheet 102 into which a slot 122 is cut. Rectangularconductive sheet 102 in this exemplary embodiment is a 0.2 mm thicksheet of copper that has a width 124 of 20 mm and a length 128 of 38 mm.The slot 122 in this exemplary embodiment has a first section 104, asecond section 106, a third section 108 and a fourth section 110. Allsections of the slot 122 in this exemplary embodiment have a width of 1mm. The first section 104 of slot 122 in this exemplary embodimentbegins at the left edge of the rectangular conductive sheet 102 andextends into the sheet 5 mm. The first section 104 is located at a firstdistance 118 from the bottom edge of the rectangular conductive sheet102. The first distance 118 in this exemplary embodiment is 8 mm. Thesecond section 106 of conductive sheet 122 in this exemplary embodimentforms a right angle with the end of the first section 104 and extends 17mm. The second section in this exemplary embodiment is a second distance114 from the edge of the rectangular conductive sheet 102. The seconddistance 114 in this exemplary embodiment is 4 mm. The third section 108of slot 122 in this exemplary embodiment forms a right angle with theend of the second section 106 that is opposite the first section 104 andextends for 12 mm. The third section 108 is located a third distance 120from the edge of the rectangular conductive sheet 102. The thirddistance in this exemplary embodiment is 13 mm. The fourth section 110of slot 122 in this exemplary embodiment forms a right angle with theend of the third section 108 that is opposite the second section 106 andextends for 18 mm. The fourth section 110 is located a fourth distance112 from the edge of the rectangular conductive sheet 102. The fourthdistance in this exemplary embodiment is 4 mm. The second section 106and the fourth section 110 in this exemplary embodiment aresubstantially parallel and separated by a fifth distance 116, which is10 mm in this exemplary embodiment.

The exemplary PIFA antenna 100 includes a high frequency portion 130 anda low frequency portion that consists of a first PIFA arm 132, a secondPIFA arm 134 and a third PIFA arm 136. These two portions operate toprovide the dual frequency characteristics of the exemplary PIFA antenna100 operating alone. The exemplary PIFA antenna 100 further has an RFlead 138 and a ground connector 140, as are described in more detailbelow.

A top view of a PIFA-PE combination antenna 200 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2.The PIFA-PE combination 200 of the exemplary embodiment has a PIFA 100and a Parasitic Element (PE) 202 arranged in a vertical proximity toeach other so that the PE 202 is operationally coupled to the PIFA 100.PIFA 100 of the exemplary embodiment is a conventional PIFA antenna andembodiments of the present invention are able to incorporate anyconventional PIFA design.

The PE 202 of the exemplary embodiment has a first parasitic arm 204, asecond parasitic arm 208 and a connecting parasitic arm 206. The PE 202of the exemplary embodiment is formed from conductors that have a widthof 2.4 mm. There is no ohmic contact to support electron current flowbetween the PIFA 100 and the PE 202 in the exemplary embodiment. The PE202 of the exemplary embodiment is in a plane that is essentiallyparallel to the plane of the PIFA 100. The first parasitic arm 204 has alength of 25 mm and the second parasitic arm 208 has a length of 30 mm.The first parasitic arm 204 and the second parasitic arm 208 aresubstantially parallel in this exemplary embodiment and are separated bya parasitic separation distance 210, which is 14 mm in this exemplaryembodiment. The connecting parasitic arm 206 forms essentially rightangles with the first parasitic arm 204 and the second parasitic arm.The PE 202 of this exemplary embodiment has a shape that generallyconforms to the shape of the PIFA 100 with which it operates.Alternative embodiments of the present invention include parasiticelements that do not form parallel structures and have junctions betweensections that are not at right angles. Yet other alternative embodimentsutilize parasitic elements that have shapes that do not generallyconform to the shape of the PIFA with which they operate. Embodiments ofthe present invention place a parasitic element with other orientationsrelative to the PIFA to which it is operationally coupled.

A side view 300 of a PIFA-PE combination antenna 200 that is mounted inan exemplary wireless communications device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. ThePIFA-PE combination antenna 200 is shown to have a PIFA antenna 100 anda parasitic element (PE) 202. The PIFA 100 and PE 202 are separated inthis exemplary embodiment by housing plastic 302. The housing plastic302 of the exemplary embodiment has a thickness of 1 mm and a dielectricconstant (Er) of 4. The PIFA 100 is mounted above a printed circuitboard (PCB) 304 at a mounting height 310, which is 8 mm in thisexemplary embodiment. The PCB 304 of the exemplary embodiment is 95 mmlong, 2 mm thick and is constructed of FR-4 with copper conductors. ThePCB 304 further includes digital, analog and RF circuit components 312for the exemplary wireless communications device. The PCB 304 of thisexemplary embodiment also has an RF connector 306 to provide ohmiccoupling of RF signals between the circuit components 312 and the PIFAantenna 100. The PIFA antenna 100 is connected to the RF connector 306by an RF lead 138. The RF lead 138 of the exemplary embodiment isconstructed of 0.2 mm thick copper and is 2 mm wide. The RF lead 138 isplaced along an edge of the rectangular conductive sheet 102 at aconnector distance 312 from the adjoining edge of the rectangularconductor sheet 102. The conductor distance 312 in this exemplaryembodiment is 4 mm. The PIFA antenna 100 further has a ground contact140 that is located on that adjoining edge of the rectangular conductivesheet 102 at a point that is 4 mm from the edge on which the RF lead 138is attached. The ground contact 140 of the exemplary embodiment is 4 mmwide and similarly constructed of 0.2 mm thick copper.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention are able to have the PEplaced in any of a number of different locations and orientationsrelative to the PIFA 100 that support the coupling between the PE 202and PIFA 100 as is described below. The structure of the PE is also notlimited to the linear structures chosen for ease of understanding in theexample. The PE 202 preferably conforms to an enclosure or otherphysical structure that forms the housing for the device using thePIFA-PE antenna structure 200. The shape of the PIFA 100 is also able tovary as is known and understood by practitioners in the relevant artsand as described below.

A lumped element electrical diagram 400 for a PIFA-PE combination 200 ofthe exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4. The lumped elementelectrical diagram 400 represents portions of the conductive structuresof the PIFA 100 and PE 202 as reactive elements and further showselectromagnetic coupling between these conductive structure portions.Elements that are part of the same conductive structure are shown aselectrically connected to adjacent element by lossless conductors. Theelements of the PIFA 100 of the exemplary are depicted within the dottedline 402 and elements of the PE 202 of the exemplary embodiment aredepicted outside of the dotted line 402. This description will firstdiscuss the reactive elements that model the PIFA 100 and then discussthe reactive elements that model the PE 202 and the radiant couplingsbetween those two structures.

The RF input 404 is shown as connected to a RF input reactive element406, which represents the electrical characteristics of the RF lead 138,ground connector 140 and other portions of the PIFA 100 at the RFfrequency of interest. The other end of the RF input reactive element406 is connected to ground 410. The RF input 404 is further shown asconnected to the input of a first PIFA element 412 and a second PIFAelement 414. The first PIFA element 412 represents part of the highfrequency portion 130 of the PIFA 100. The output of the first PIFAelement 412 is connected to the input of a third PIFA element 418, whichrepresents the open circuit portion of the high frequency portion 130and is shown as an open circuit transmission line. The second PIFAelement 414 represents the portion of the first PIFA arm 132 thatradiantly couples to the first parasitic arm 204. The first PIFA element412 and the second PIFA element 414 are shown to be electromagneticallycoupled by a first coupling 416. The output of the second PIFA element414 is connected to the input of a fourth PIFA element 422. The fourthPIFA element 422 represents the second PIFA arm 134. The fourth PIFAelement 422 is shown to be electromagnetically coupled to the third PIFAelement 418 through a second electromagnetic coupling 420. The output ofthe fourth PIFA element 422 is connected to the input of a fifth PIFAelement 424. The fifth PIFA element 424 represents the portion of thethird PIFA arm 136 that radiantly couples to the second parasitic arm208. The fifth PIFA element has an electromagnetic coupling to the firstPIFA element 412 in this exemplary embodiment, as is represented by athird coupling 426. The output of the fifth PIFA element 424 isconnected to the input of a sixth PIFA element 428. The sixth PIFAelement 428 represents the open circuit portion of third PIFA arm 136and is shown as an open circuit transmission line.

The PE 202 of the exemplary embodiment is a separate conductivestructure that is positioned in proximity to the PIFA 100 so as to allowradiant coupling of RF energy between the PIFA 100 and the PE 202. ThePE 202 of the exemplary embodiment is a generally “U” shaped structurethat has a shape that roughly corresponds to the shape of the conductiveportions of the PIFA 100. Alternative embodiments of the presentinvention incorporate PE structures that have shapes that do notcorrespond to the PIFA antenna to which it is radiantly coupled and withwhich it is operating.

The lumped element electrical diagram 400 for a PIFA-PE combination 200shows that the second PIFA element 414 is electromagnetically coupled toa first PE element 432. The first PE element 432 represents the portionof first parasitic arm 204 that appreciably radiantly couples to firstPIFA arm 132. One output of the first PE element 432 is connected to asecond PE element 434, which represents the open circuit portion of theend of the first parasitic arm 204 in this exemplary embodiment. Thefirst PE element 432 is also electromagnetically coupled to the secondPIFA element 414 by a fourth radiantly coupling 430. The other part ofthe first PE element 432 is connected to one part of a third PE element436. The third PE element 436 corresponds to connecting parasitic arm206 and radiantly couples to the fourth PIFA element 422 in theexemplary embodiment by a fifth radiantly coupling 438. The other partof the third PE element 436 is connected to a part of a fourth PEelement 440. The fourth PE element 440 corresponds to the secondparasitic arm 208 of PE 202. The fourth PE element 440 couples to thefifth PIFA element 424 through a sixth radiantly coupling 442. The otherpart of the fourth PE element 440 is connected to a fifth PE element444, which is an open end transmission line. The fifth PE element iscoupled to the sixth PIFA element 428 by a seventh radiantly coupling446.

The electromagnetic (radiantly) couplings described above between the PE202 and the PIFA 100 induce currents in the PE 202 and cause the PE 202to become part of the radiation structure of the PIFA-PE combination200. An exemplary PIFA only radiation characteristic verses RF frequency500 of a PIFA antenna operating without a parasitic element isillustrated in FIG. 5. The exemplary radiation characteristic 500 has ahorizontal scale that is an RF frequency scale 502 that extends from 800MHz to 2000 MHz. The vertical scale 504 indicates two values. Thenegative values on the vertical scale indicate the reflection loss (RL)of the input into the antenna expressed in decibels (dB). The positivevalues indicate the radiation efficiency of the antenna, expressed as apercentage. Reflection loss in this graph indicates the amount of RFenergy that is reflected back to an RF generator driving the input tothe antenna, relative to the amount of RF energy being delivered to theantenna. The reflected energy is not available for transmission, so amore negative reflection loss value is indicative of better antennaperformance.

The graph of the exemplary PIFA radiation characteristic 500 has twotraces. A reflection loss trace 508 indicates reflection loss of theantenna as a function of frequency. An efficiency trace 506 indicatesthe radiation efficiency of the antenna as a function of frequency. Theexemplary radiation characteristic 500 indicates two peaks in theefficiency trace 506, a first peak 510 near 850 MHz and a second peak512 near 1.9 GHz. The reflection loss trace 508 corresponds to theefficiency trace 506 and similarly has two peaks, a first peak 514 near850 MHz and a second peak 516 near 1.9 GHz. This response indicates thatthis PIFA type antenna, which utilizes a conventional PIFA design, issuitable for use in a dual band cellular telephone that is able tocommunicate in either of two bands, one band in the region of 800 MHzand another band in the region of 1.9 GHz.

An exemplary PIFA-PE combination antenna structure radiationcharacteristic verses RF frequency 600 as is characteristic of theexemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6.The exemplary PIFA-PE combination radiation characteristic 600 sharesthe RF frequency scale 502 and vertical scale 504 with the exemplaryPIFA radiation characteristic 500. The exemplary PIFA-PE combinationradiation characteristic 600 also has two traces, a PIFA-PE reflectionloss trace 604 and a PIFA-PE radiation efficiency trace 602. The PIFA-PEreflection loss trace 604 maintains the two peak values of the PIFAreflection loss trace 508, i.e., the first RL peak 514 near 850 MHz andthe second RL peak 516 near 1.9 GHz. In addition to those two peaks, thePIFA-PE reflection loss trace 604 of the exemplary embodiment alsoincludes a third RL peak 608 near 1.575 GHz. This third RL peak 608 is aresult of the altering of the radiation characteristics caused by theradiantly coupling between the PIFA 100 and the PE 202 of the exemplaryembodiment. The PIFA-PE radiation efficiency trace 602 similarly has theoriginal peaks near 850 MHz and 1.9 GHz with an additional thirdradiation efficiency peak 606 near 1.575 GHz.

The parasitic element 202 of the exemplary embodiments is configured andpositioned relative to the PIFA 100 so that it works in conjunction witha PIFA 100 so as to further induce the wireless characteristic of thePIFA 100 within an additional frequency band compared to the wirelesscharacteristic of the PIFA 100 in that frequency band when the PIFA 100is operating alone. The lengths of the first parasitic arm 204 andsecond parasitic arm 206, as well as their arrangement and separation,affect the center frequency of this band. Variations in the length ofone or both of these arms, as well as the separation between these arms,allows modification of the center frequency of the additional RF bandthat is added to the PIFA 100. Embodiments that use a parasitic elementwith different shapes, including shapes that are selected to conform toa nearby surface such as a cellular telephone case, also are able tohave the shape of the parasitic elements altered so as to affect theadditional frequency band that is provided by the PIFA-PE antennastructure 200.

A cross-sectional view 700 of an alternative PIFA-PE antenna combinationarrangement, shown as part of an exemplary cellular telephone 706incorporating an alternative PIFA-PE antenna structure 710, according toan alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 7. Note that the exemplary cellular telephone 706 is representativeof a wireless device, e.g., cell phone, two-way portable radio, wirelesscommunicator, and other such devices, that can be used for at least oneof wireless transmission of signals from a transmitter and wirelessreception of transmitted signals by a receiver. The exemplary cellulartelephone cross-sectional view 700 presents a side view of the exemplarycellular telephone 706. The exemplary cellular telephone cross-sectionalview 700 shows a circuit board 702 that is mounted within a plastic case704. The circuit board 702 of this exemplary cellular telephone 706includes circuitry 712 for analog, digital and RF signal processing asis conventionally included in cellular telephones. This cellulartelephone 706 includes a single antenna structure 710 that includes aPIFA 100 and a Parasitic Element (PE) 708.

This exemplary cellular phone 706 is designed to communicate in twocommunications RF bands, a cellular telephone RF band in the region of800 MHz and another cellular telephone RF band in the region of 1.9 GHz.In addition to communicating in these two RF bands, this exemplarycellular telephone 706 receives GPS signals in the RF band in the regionof 1.575 GHz. The antenna structure 720 of this exemplary cellulartelephone operates efficiently in all three of these bands andadvantageously obviates the need for a separate GPS antenna.

The PIFA 100 is mounted on the circuit board 702 of this exemplarycellular telephone 706. This exemplary cellular telephone 706 uses aconventional PIFA 100 that operates in the two cellular telephone bands.A Conformal Parasitic Element (CPE) 708 is placed on the inside of theplastic case 704, which is a surface that is separated from the PIFA 100in this exemplary embodiment, so as to properly position the CPE 708 soas to induce improved radiation of the PIFA 100 within an additionalfrequency band, in this case the GPS signal RF band in the region of1.575 GHz. The CPE 708 of this embodiment conforms to the surface of theinside of the case 704, thereby facilitating manufacture of the cellulartelephone 706. Alternative embodiments place a CPE 708 on the outside oron top of the PIFA 100 itself using, for example a thin, non conductivesubstrate. Also, embodiments construct both the PIFA 100 and the CPE 708in one substrate, such as a FLEX circuit, and mount this assemblydirectly on a printed circuit board. The CPE 708 operates similarly tothe parasitic element 202 described above. The coupling between the CPE708 and the PIFA 100 is able to be controlled, for example, by adjustingeither the relative spacing and/or location of these two elements, byadjusting the width of the elements of the CPE 708, or by placing adielectric material between the CPE 708 and the PIFA 100. The CPE 708 ofthis exemplary cellular telephone 706 is printed onto the plastic case704 with conductive material in order to facilitate economic manufactureof the cellular telephone 706 and the antenna structure 100. Alternativeembodiments place the CPE 708 about the surface of the plastic case 704,such as by embedding conductors into the plastic case 704 to form theCPE 708. Other embodiments place the CPE 708 about the case 704 by usinga vacuum depositing method to place conductive lines onto the case ofthe device, attaching the CPE 708 on or near the case by using adhesivesor other mechanisms. Affixing the parasitic element with adhesives, forexample, is usually facilitated by the use of fiducial points placed onthe surface to which the parasitic element is to be affixed. The use ofa Conformal Parasitic Element 708 for the parasitic element of a PIFA-PEcombination antenna structure allows the CPE 708 to be added to productdesigns that already use a PIFA. The CPE 708 is able to be placed on anysurface that is separated from, i.e., is not a part of, the PIFA withwhich it operates. A conformal parasitic element is able to be added tosuch a device without impact to the packaging shape of the product.

In addition to the straight conductors of the first parasitic arm 204and second parasitic arm 208, alternative embodiments have one or moreconducting sections of the parasitic element that have a meanderingshape. Meandering of the conductive sections causes the parasiticelement to resonate at different frequencies. A parasitic element withmeandering sections thereby produces a combined PIFA-PE antennastructure that adds two or more RF bands to the RF bands exhibited bythe PIFA operating alone. This allows for efficient operation in anumber of bands that is determined by the structure of the parasiticelement of the particular embodiment.

An alternative PIFA-PE antenna combination 800 that has an exemplarymeandering parasitic element 802 is illustrated in FIG. 8. Thealternative PIFA-PE antenna combination 800 includes a PIFA antenna 100that is similar to the PIFA antenna 100 described above. The alternativePIFA-PE antenna combination 800 includes an exemplary meanderingparasitic element 802. The meandering parasitic element 802 is separatedfrom the PIFA antenna 100 by a 1 mm thick plastic housing as isdescribed for the exemplary PIFA-PE antenna combination 200 describedabove. The exemplary meandering parasitic element 802 has a firstmeandering element 804 that is a straight conductor in this exemplaryembodiment. The meandering parasitic element 802 further has a secondmeandering element 808 as is illustrated. The second meandering element808 has a meandering configuration as is shown. The meanderingconfiguration of the second meandering element 808 provides one or moreadditional resonant frequencies in the alternative PIFA-PE antenna 800.

An additional advantage of the PIFA-PE antenna structure in a handheldand/or portable device is that a properly designed parasitic element 202acts to pre-load the PIFA antenna 100 and to thereby minimize theeffects of a user's hand or other conductive material on the operationof the antenna structure 200 compared to a PIFA 100 operating alone.Generally, the design of conductive surfaces to pre-load antennas isknown by practitioners in the relevant arts. The use of conductiveprinting or other low cost methods of creating the parasitic elementfurther minimizes the manufacturing cost of the complete antennastructure 200.

An exemplary pre-loading PIFA-PE antenna combination 900 according to analternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG.9. The exemplary pre-loading PIFA-PE antenna combination 900 includes aPIFA antenna 100 that is similar to the PIFA antenna 100 that isdescribed above. The exemplary pre-loading PIFA-PE antenna combination900 further includes a pre-loading parasitic element 902. Thepre-loading parasitic element 902 of this exemplary embodiment includesa first pre-loading parasitic element 904 and a connecting pre-loadingparasitic element 906 that are constructed of straight lengths ofconductor. The pre-loading parasitic element 904 has a secondpre-loading parasitic element 908 that is parallel to the firstpre-loading parasitic element 904. The end of the second pre-loadingparasitic element 908 has a pre-load 910 that is included to minimizethe effect of a user's hand near the high impedance end of thepre-loading parasitic element 904. The design of the pre-loadingparasitic element 904 is adjusted to accommodate the presence of thepre-load 910 and maintain operation of the exemplary pre-loading PIFA-PEantenna combination 900 within the GPS signal band.

The use of a conformal parasitic element 202 allows selectiveincorporation of the additional band into products with the same circuitboard that contains a PIFA 100. The PIFA is able to operate in itsconventional RF bands without the parasitic element, or the board isable to be incorporated into a case with a conformal parasitic element202 contained in that case and thereby operate in an additional band.

The use of a parasitic element to add a frequency band to a PIFA antennaallows the addition of one or more bands to the composite antennastructure without an increase in complexity to the electronic circuit orcircuit board layout of the device using the combined PIFA-PE antenna.The use of a conformal parasitic element that is affixed to or part ofthe case of the device using the combined PIFA-PE structure furtherallows an antenna structure to be created that has a maximum volumegiven the constraints of the case of the device.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed,those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes canbe made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to berestricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments, and it is intendedthat the appended claims cover any and all such applications,modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention.

1. An antenna, comprising: a PIFA for wireless operation within at leastone frequency band; and a parasitic element positioned to be operativelycoupled to the PIFA, and wherein RF energy is radiantly coupled betweenthe parasitic element and the PIFA, and the parasitic element isconfigured and positioned so as to further induce wireless operation ofthe PIFA within at least one additional frequency band.
 2. The antennaof claim 1, wherein the parasitic element radiantly couples to at leastthree arms of the PIFA.
 3. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the parasiticelement has a shape that generally conforms to the shape of the PIFA. 4.The antenna of claim 1, wherein the parasitic element comprises ameandering section.
 5. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the parasiticelement conforms to a surface that is separated from the PIFA.
 6. Theantenna of claim 5, wherein the surface comprises at least a portion ofa case of a wireless communications device.
 7. A parasitic element foruse with a PIFA antenna that is for wireless operation within at leastone frequency band, the parasitic element comprising: at least twoconductors arranged so as to radiantly couple RF energy between theparasitic element and the PIFA antenna, wherein the parasitic element isconfigured and positioned relative to the PIFA antenna so as to furtherinduce wireless operation of the PIFA antenna within at least oneadditional frequency band.
 8. A method comprising: parasiticallyinducing a radiation characteristic of a PIFA antenna, that wirelesslyoperates within at least one frequency band, resulting in wirelessoperation thereof within at least one additional frequency band byradiantly coupling RF energy with the PIFA antenna.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein the parasitically inducing comprises:positioning a parasitic element so as to be operatively coupled to thePIFA antenna so as to induce the radiantly coupling of RF energy betweenthe PIFA antenna and the parasitic element, wherein the positioningcontributes to the parasitically inducing.
 10. The method according toclaim 9, wherein the positioning comprises placing the parasitic elementabout a surface that is separated from the PIFA antenna.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the parasitic element has a shape thatgenerally conforms to the shape of the PIFA antenna.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the parasitic element comprises ameandering section so as to further induce radiation characteristics ofthe PIFA antenna in an additional plurality of bands.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the parasitic element conforms to asurface that is separated from the PIFA antenna.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 13, wherein the surface comprises at least a portionof a case of a wireless communications device.
 15. A wirelesscommunications device, comprising: at least one of a receiver forwirelessly receiving transmitted signals and a transmitter forwirelessly transmitting signals; a PIFA antenna, electrically coupled tothe at least one of a receiver and a transmitter, for wireless operationwithin at least one frequency band; and a parasitic element, positionedso as to be operatively coupled to the PIFA antenna, for radiantlycoupling RF energy between the parasitic element and the PIFA antenna,the parasitic element being configured and positioned so as to furtherinduce radiation of the PIFA antenna within at least one additionalfrequency band.
 16. The wireless communications device of claim 15,wherein the parasitic element has a shape that generally conforms to theshape of the PIFA antenna.
 17. The wireless communications device ofclaim 15, wherein the parasitic element comprises a meandering section.18. The wireless communications device of claim 15, wherein theparasitic element conforms to a surface that is separated from the PIFA.19. The wireless communications device of claim 18, wherein the surfacecomprises at least a portion of a case of the wireless communicationsdevice.